NO854292L - FLAT TOP CUT CLOSE FOR WASHING CONTAINERS. - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed herein a flat top and closure for a liquid carrying container, which includes two oppositely disposed, overlapped outer closure panels, and two oppositely disposed, three-segment fold-in panels, one of which serves as the pour spout when opened. Each of the three-segment fold-in panels includes a substantially triangular panel portion defined by converging diagonal score lines extending from the upper edge of the tubular container body, and a pair of fold-back panels integrally connected to and folded between the substantially triangular panel portion and the respective adjacent outer closure panels. Diagonal opening-assist score lines are formed on the outer closure panels. Abhesive patterns to facilitate the opening process are formed on the outside surface of the three-segment pour spout and on the inside surfaces of the pour spout fold-back panels and the adjacent panel segments bounded by the diagonal opening-assist score lines.

Description

The invention generally relates to thermoplastic-coated cardboard containers intended to contain liquids, as well as blanks for the production of these. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved flat top closure which is easy to open, for such containers.

Containers for beverages, such as milk and juice, are usually made from thermoplastic coated cardboard. A common type of such containers includes a top closure with a folded gable roof with a vertically projecting sealed fin or flap at the roof ridge for sealing the container. Such containers are shown in US patent no. 3 270 940. The bottom closure on the container is usually of the folded type, as e.g. is shown in US Patent No. 3,120,335.

Another type of container includes a slanted or flat top closure whereby what would otherwise be a vertically projecting sealed tab, or a sloping sealed tab is folded flat and releasably attached to the rest of the closure. Such slanted and/or flat top closures are described e.g. in US patents no. 3,869,078 and 4,211,357.

Various techniques have been used to promote the folding of a sealed flap in a particular direction to facilitate packing of the container in layers where one layer is on top of the other thereby minimizing storage and loading space, without requiring the use of some shipping crate or board between the layers. In US patent no. 4 078 715 it is e.g. described a top closure with an inclined sealed flap which includes a "harder fold" on one side than on the other side to facilitate folding of the sealed flap from a vertical position to the inclined position.

US Patent No. 4,012,997 and No. 4,093,115 describe a container folding method and a container produced by this method, where one side of the end surfaces of the top closure is equipped with double groove lines that extend parallel to each other. Folding of a sealed top tab at the end closure from a vertical position to a flat position requires the application of a downwardly directed force against the outer surface to bend the sealed tab downward.

important information

For archival reasons, the Norwegian Patent Office only has access to documents for this generally available patent application that contain handwritten notes, comments or crossing outs, or that may be stamped "Expired" or the like. We have therefore had to use these documents for scanning to create an electronic edition.

Handwritten remarks or comments have been part of the proceedings, and must not be used to interpret the content of the document.

Cross-outs and stampings with "Expired" etc. indicates that newer documents have been received during the proceedings to replace the earlier document. Such crossing out or stamping must not be understood as meaning that the relevant part of the document does not apply.

Please ignore any handwritten notes, comments or crossing outs, as well as any stamps with "Cancel" etc. which have the same meaning.

In US patent no. 4,206,867, a wide groove line is formed on one side of the gable surfaces, instead of the above-mentioned double groove lines, with a regular groove line on the opposite side, which gives different folding back surfaces.

In the above-mentioned US patent no. 4,211,357, different angles at the base of the folded-in gable or angle surfaces, with or without lower groove lines on one side than on the other, will promote folding in the direction of the larger base angles. In an alternative embodiment, a lower and/or slanted wide groove line will provide the slant angle for the slope in one direction.

US patent no. 4,422,570 is an example of an improved flat top closure for a cardboard container intended for liquids, where the sealed tab previously used in connection with flat end closures is not necessary, but where a pouring spout is included. An outer lifting tab is integrally formed with an outer closure surface for the first lifting of a portion of the pouring spout, and an underlying lifting tab is formed on a fold-back closure surface of another portion of the pouring spout, to facilitate opening.

In the case of cardboard container constructions intended for liquids, and especially for delicate food products, such as milk or fruit juice, it is essential that the top closure is carefully sealable in order to thereby provide a clean and sanitary closure that is nevertheless functional from the point of view that it must contain devices that should make it easy to open the pouring spout. As illustrated and described in the above-mentioned US patent no. 3,270,940, anti-adhesive or "abhesive" patterns have been used, primarily on one or both sides of the rib surfaces which are placed outside the folded triangular fold-back surfaces and inside the outer edge of orsegliiigsklaf f is . In the case of the flat top construction described in the above-mentioned US patent 4,422,570, where no ordinary sealing flap is used, such as ordinary rib surfaces and sealing flaps, other devices are required for removable sealing of the top closure.

It is thus a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved flat end closure for a paperboard container intended for liquid, which closure is designed with different features to provide a controlled separation of the pour spouts formed in the flat top closures of the non-sealing flap type which is described in the above-mentioned US patent 4,422,570, in order to thus simplify and promote the easy opening after a leak-proof sealing operation.

A further purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved flat top closure, where special "abhesive" patterns, and/or selected embossments filled with an additional sealing material, and/or partially cut-through lines serve to facilitate the container opening operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an overlapped flat top closure which is not shaped by a sealed flap arrangement and with a predetermined inner and outer adhesive surface pattern and a possible embossment to determine a selected area for placing an additional sealing means within the contours to the abhesive pattern.

These purposes are achieved by a top closure which is characterized by what appears in the requirements.

The above purposes and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, which is shown in the drawing, which shows:

fig. 1 partial view of a blank, in unfolded state, from which the top closure according to the invention is to be formed, viewed against the outer surface,

fig. 2 a corresponding drawing showing the inner surface,

fig. 3 a partial view in the unfolded state of the outer surface of a blank after the placement of a side seam on the blank shown in fig. 1,

fig. 4 and 5 are partial perspective views showing the successively following different steps in the formation of the flat top closure,

fig. 6, 7 and 8 partial perspective views showing successively following different steps in the opening of the flat top closure, and

fig. 9 a partial perspective view corresponding to fig. 5, showing the top closure in a closed position after it has first been opened.

It will now be shown in more detail to the drawings, where Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the outer and inner surfaces of a blank 10 which includes a top closure part 12 and a container body part 14 which are separated from each other by an alternately offset horizontal groove line 16 The latter includes a first side surface 18, a front surface 20, a second side surface 22, a rear surface 24, and a narrow fifth surface or side seam 26. The respective surfaces 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26 are delimited by a first fresh cut edge 28 , vertical groove lines 30, 32, 34 and 36 and a second fresh cut edge 38.

Two outer top closure surfaces 40 and 42 are integrally formed with the respective first and second side surfaces 18 and 22 at the groove line 16. Two folding top surfaces 44 and 46 are integrally formed with the respective rear and front surfaces 20 and 24 at the groove line 16. The top surfaces are formed in one piece with each other over the above-mentioned vertical groove lines. An end closure extension 48 of the side seam 26 is integrally formed with the latter at the groove line 16 and connected to the folding surface 46 at the groove line 36. The surface 44 will serve as a pour spout, as will be explained below.

A lifting tab 50 is formed at the upper edge part of the top surface 42, so that it is formed in one piece with it over a groove line 52 which constitutes an extension of the vertical groove line 32, and extends laterally and substantially parallel to part of the free-cut edge 86 on the surface 44.

Opening-assisting diagonal groove lines 54 and 56 are formed on the outer top surfaces 40 and 42. The line 54 extends substantially from the point of intersection with the vertical groove line 30 and the horizontal groove line 16 until a horizontal groove line 58 is formed above the surface 40. The groove line 58 ends in a free-cut edge 60 and divides the surface 40 into surfaces 62 and 64, while the diagonal groove line 54 divides the surface 62 into segments 62a and 62b. The groove line 56 extends from the intersection between the groove lines 32 and 16 to the free-cut edge 66 of the surface 42 and divides the surface 42 into segments 42a and 42b, the lifting tab 50 extending from the segment 42b. A diagonal groove line 68 is formed across the surface 64

from the end of the diagonal groove line 54 at the groove line 58 up to the free-cut edge 70 of the surface 64.

Two converging diagonal groove lines 72 and 74 are formed in the folding top surface 44 and form a triangular sloping surface 76 with the horizontal groove line 16. Likewise, two converging diagonal groove lines 78 and 80 are formed on the folding top surface 46 and form a triangular surface 82 together with the horizontal groove line 16 The diagonal groove lines 72, 74, 78 and 80 are preferably spaced at their lower ends somewhat within the respective adjacent vertical groove lines 30, 32, 34 and 36 along the horizontal groove line 16, but may cross the meeting points of the groove lines 30 and 16, respectively. 34 and 16, 36 and 16 and 34 and 16, if this is desired. On the surface 44, two fold-back surface parts remain, consisting of a regular surface part 84 between the groove lines 74 and 32 and a fresh-cut edge part 86 on the surface 44, and a longer surface part 88 between the groove lines 72 and 30 and a fresh-cut edge part 90 on the surface 44. An edge part 92 extends at an angle between the adjacent ends of the cut edges 86 and 90, with one end substantially aligned with the diagonal groove line 74 and the other end arcuately connected to the free cut edge 90.

It is the area of the longer flat portion 88 which extends past an extension of the line formed by the free-cut edge 86 which is intended to serve as a lifting tab 94, as will be explained below.

The folding surface 46 includes folding back surface portions 96 and 98 which are both comparable to the normal surface portion 84. The surface portion 96 is defined by the groove lines 78 and 34 and the free cut edge 100 of the surface 46. The surface portion 98 is determined by the groove lines 80 and 36 and the free cut edge 100. A fresh cut edge 102 at the end of side seam extension 48 is aligned with edge 100.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a first cut, represented by a line 104, can be formed parallel to the free-cut edge 86 across and partly through the thickness of the surface 84 from its outside, and a second cutout, represented by a line 106 can be formed between the groove line 58 and the free-cut edge 70, partly through the thickness of the surface 64 from its inside. Tests indicate that such partial cuts serve to promote the initial opening operation of the pour spout.

As an alternative to or in addition to the partial cuts 104 and 106, to promote an "easy opening" property, a suitable "adhesive" or anti-sealant solution may be applied to the outer faces of the face segments 88, 76 and 84, i.e. the entire outer face of the folding surface 44 with the exception of the area of the surface segment 84 which is determined by the line 104 and the free-cut edge 86. The adhesive was also applied to the inner surfaces of the surface segments 84 and 88, with the exception of the portion of the lifting tab 94, on that part of the inner surface of the surface segment 42b which is adjacent to the segment 84, and on the inside surface of the segment 62b as well as on the part of the surface 64 which lies within the groove lines 58, 68 and 30 and the partial cut line 106.

An embossment 108 is formed on the inside surface of the outer closure surface 42, beginning at the vertical score line 32 and extending across the surface segment 42b to a point just beyond the diagonal score line 56. As such, the embossment 108 is bounded by spaced parallel lines 110 and 112 which span an imaginary line continuation of the free-cut edge 86 of the adjacent face segment 84. The line 112 is substantially aligned with the free-cut edge 90 of the face segment 88. The embossment 108 is filled with a suitable additional sealing material for the purpose of sealing while the top is closed and at the same time allowing opening without causing a tearing of the paper fibres. If desired, the additional sealing material can be added to the embossing area without first forming an embossing which serves essentially as a holding means for sealing material. Instead of using an additional sealing material in the area of the embossing, it may be desirable to control the quality of the sealing by varying the sealing temperature and pressure. The adhesive on the inner surface of the surface segment 42b ends at the line 110 edge of the embossment 108.

The container blank 10 as illustrated in fig. 1 and 2 are shaped into a side-stitched item, as shown in fig. 3 by rotating the container body surface 24 and the side seam tab 26 as a unit about the vertical groove line 34 and allowing the inner ribs of the container body surface 24 to contact the inner surface of the container body surfaces 22 with the vertical groove line 36 located adjacent to the vertical groove line 32 and with the inner surface of the side seam tab 26 in contact with the inner surface of the container body surfaces 20 adjacent the vertical groove line 32. The container body surface 18 is then rotated about the vertical groove line 30 to bring its inner surface into contact with the outer surface of the side seam tab 26 and the edge 28 is placed parallel and substantially aligned with the vertical groove line 36. The various parts of the end closure 12 will perform corresponding movements, and the container will appear as illustrated in fig. 3. The container blank 10 is then sealed where the inner areas of the container body surface 18 and the closing surface 40 come into contact with the outer surface of the side seam flap 26 and its extension 48.

The next step in forming the side seamed blank into a container is illustrated in fig. 4. The side-stitched blank is opened to a square or rectangular position after which the different parts of the end closure 12 are folded around the different groove lines in the following way. As can be deduced from fig. 5, the triangular closing surfaces 76 and 82 are moved about the horizontal groove line 16 across the end of the container towards each other. At the same time, the outer surfaces 40 and 42 are also moved towards each other about the horizontal groove line 16. This causes the folding back surface part 88 to be bent around the vertical groove line 30 so that the inner ridges on the surface part 88 and the outer surface 40 approach each other. Consequently, the surface part 84 is moved about the diagonal groove line 74 so that the inner ridges on the surface part 84 and the surface 42 approach each other. The outer surfaces of the two folding back surface portions 88 and 84 approach the outside of the triangular surface 76. The folding back surface portions 96 and 98 perform the same movements as described for the surface portions 84 and 88 with respect to their adjacent surfaces 42 and 82 and 40 and 82.

During folding, the outer surface 42 comes into contact with the surface part 64 on the outer surface 40. The surface part 64 is moved around the groove line 58 and approaches the surface part 62. The result is, as shown in fig. 6 and 7, that an edge part (Fig. 6) of the outer surface 42 overlaps and is sealed to the surface part 64 (Fig. 6) of the outer surface 40, and the edge part 94 of the surface 88 overlaps and is sealed to the edge part 104 of the surface 84.

The lifting tab 50 (fig. 5) can be bent downwards about the groove line 52, and sealed against the front surface 20, which is advantageous for shipping and storage.

With reference to fig. 6, it can be stated that opening the flat top closure is carried out by first releasing the lifting tab 50 from the front surface 20 and then using the released tab to lift the outer roof surface segment 42b and the underlying surface part 84 about the respective diagonal groove lines 56 and 74. This exposes the underlying parts of the surfaces 84, so that the lifting tab 94 can be grasped, as part of the surface 88, as determined by the free-cut edges 90 and 92. By thus grasping and lifting the lifting tab 94, the surface segments 88 and 62b are moved about the diagonal groove lines 72 and 54. The pouring spout shown in fig. 8 is then opened in the following way: The flat parts 76, 84 and 88 on the surface 44 are brought to assume an essentially flat position, as shown in fig. 7, after which pressure against the vertical rib lines 30 and 32 will cause the triangular flat part 76 to extend outwards. The lifting tab 94 can be used to lift up the surface 88 and consequently the triangular surface part 76 and the surface 84 from their flat position and past this, into the shape of a normal pouring spout for emptying the contents of the container. The pouring spout can therefore be essentially repeatedly closed after use. As shown in fig. 9, the lifting tab 50 may be folded inwardly between the fold-back surface 84 and the triangular bevel surface 76 to effect a "locked" position for the repeatedly closed flat top closure.

As indicated above, the opening process is enhanced by one or more of the undercuts, the "abhesive" or anti-sealant patterns on the outer and inner rafters of the opening surface, and the area of sealing material.

It should be apparent that the resulting flat top container is more easily stacked during shipping and on the store shelf than is the case with conventional gable top containers.

It should also be noted that the flat top closure according to the invention can be easily opened by means of the two lifting tabs and the "abhesive" patterns formed at strategic locations on the inner and outer surfaces of the pouring spout consisting of three segments and the adjacent inner and outer closure surfaces . The properties that give easy opening in connection with the "abhesive" patterns can be increased by additional features, such as partial cutting parallel to free-cut edges at the pouring end and/or embossing filled with a suitable sealant.

A main embodiment and two additional embodiments of the invention have been described, but it is clear that other modifications are possible within the framework of the invention.